Le silence de la mer

I regret to admit that I know very little about Director Pierre Boutron, having only seen one of his works before - LES ANNÉES SANDWICHES, which I so enjoyed that I eagerly pounced on the opportunity to watch this 2004 effort, a reprise of the debut of one of my all-time favorite French directors: Jean-Pierre Melville.

I am no fan of remakes, so I approached Boutron's film with some misgiving and uncertainty, promising myself that I would stop the moment I found it clearly the inferior of the famous original.

I am happy to say that I did not. In fact, I found it an improvement on the Melville effort. It flows better and acting is definitely more polished. Julie Delarme, who was 26 at the time but plays a young woman in her late teens, carries a great deal of feeling, conveyed mainly through glances, silences, and repressed emotions. Galabru also deserves plaudits, although his is a much smaller and less demanding part. Thomas Jouannet, portraying Werner, the respectful, well-mannered, music- and art-loving German officer who occupies one of the rooms in the house owned by Galabru, emerges as a honest, civilized figure as France sinks deeper and deeper under the grip of German occupation. Unlike Vernon Howard in the 1949 original, he does not try to atone for his fatherland's faults, he does not wander through the streets of Paris admiring the architecture and what it expresses about the French "soul" that Germany purportedly sought to eradicate through occupation and brainwashing. Jouannet sensitively tunes in to the human beings whose house he occupies against his own will. Marie Bunel also delivers a fine performance as the woman who places geraniums on her window sill when she receives Resistance fighters.

Effective, simple, well done cinematography by Alain Levent. Great script by Anne Giaferi, keeping dialogue to short sentences. Through looks, tears, and silence, Boutron fills in the viewer on emotions and deeper states of mind.

Definitely worth more than one viewing. 9/10.

Not your average Nazi bad guy here. The approach is totally different. Few films have moved me as much as this one. With a lump on my throat for the last 30 minutes. Despite the title, (classical) music plays a key role in this made for TV masterpiece. Emotional rollercoaster. A must see. (2 thumbs up).

The story starts in November 1941 in Nazi occupied France. A pretty, young and orphaned girl (late teens to early 20s) lives with her paternal grandfather, her only relative, in a comfortable villa. Proud but reserved, she gives piano lessons with unusual zeal and passion. One day, her house is invaded by the occupying Germans, and her parents' suite becomes the home of the local German Commander.

However, this Nazi is a refined Francofile, a classical pianist and composer. He's also extremely handsome, and tries to make this embarrassing situation as acceptable as possible.

This film is a remake of one of the best movies made in post World War II Europe, with a few adaptations to the original script, based on the novel 'LE SILENCE DE LA MER', published underground around February of 1942.

With a French actor speaking slightly (but not caricature) German accented French, the German lieutenant character is quite believable. His Aryan looks certainly confirms his "authenticity" as the cultured (French-like) though disciplined (German-like) Nazi; an enemy a refined girl could possibly fall in love with.

The original novel was practically a sacred book in France during the 1942-45 period, and a powerful symbol of the French Resistance. The 1947 film, due to budget and mainly personal and political problems, was, in hindsight, not as believable and well filmed as this new version. That said, the 1947 will probably always remain the definite version.

But, nevertheless, this new made for TV movie is well worth seeing for its timeless anti-war, pro-humanity themes. The gorgeous cinematography, and excellent performances by perfectly casted actors make it a pleasant experience for the eyes and the mind, regardless of all else, including the inevitable comparisons to the 1947 film and the novel. It is now playing on the cable TV "Eurochannel" transmitted by Satellite and "DirecTV" in the Americas, and should not be missed!

I came across this film on youtube; it's one of the most powerful WW2/romance movie I've ever seen. Very sensational. I couldn't help watching it over and over again. The performance for the actors were great; I never knew how movies can deliver message and stories like this.

What a truly wonderful film. I have never seen the original but if it is better than this version it must be very,very good. I enjoyed the performances of the three main characters immensely and have watched the film time and time again. The strange thing is that I a don't actually speak French yet have been moved by the storyline and acting to want to watch it over and over again. I think I'm right in saying that this film hasn't been shown in England but with the addition of subtitles there is no reason it shouldn't. Channel Four Television recently had a 100 best war film programme that included many great films of that genre. In my opinion this is right up there with the best of them. Thanks to Pierre Boutron(Director) and stars Thomas Jouannet, Julie Delarme and Michel Galabru for a film that is simply a treasure.